James Barnes, Symphonic Overture

James Barnes (b. 1949) and I crossed paths as graduate students at the University of Kansas in the mid 1970s. Jim worked primarily with the bands, and by that time my band days were basically over. So we were mostly involved in different activities and pursuits—except when it came to composition. I was (at first) a composition major and Jim was, well . . . a composition major. The difference was that Jim wrote music people actually wanted to listen to.

As a result, Jim went on to have a successful career as a composer. He stayed on staff at KU for all of his career. After more than 40 years, he is now listed as Professor Emeritus.

Symphonic Overture was written on a commission from the United States Air Force Band to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1991. The work, in a traditional overall three-part form, includes the elements you might expect in an Air Force celebration: fanfare, long soaring melodies, ascending and descending flourishes, and the pop of a champagne cork.

You don’t normally see cellos in a wind ensemble, but Barnes includes them in the score as optional.